Oscars 2017: Are You Shining Just for Me?

*Editor's Note: This article is part of a review series by Alex Carrigan from February 14-24. To learn about the series, visit this post.

Well, this was an interesting experiment. Compared to last year, where everything felt a lot more structured and perfectly timed, this year’s Oscar challenge was a lot harder to pin down. It wasn’t because I had to change my schedule or fell behind on some days, but unlike last year, it didn’t let me feel comfortable. Last year, I started with good movies, then had mediocre films, then ended with some of the better films of the bunch. It felt like a plot arc, in a way, so it left me feeling somewhat comfortable about repeating the challenge for the next year.​

This year, I was not afforded such luxury. I had to change plans several times, had to push back when I saw some of the movies, and even found myself submitting pieces late at night. It felt like more of a challenge to stay with it, while last year I had snow days and more structure in my daily life to easily perform it. This year, I had to work this challenge between job interviews, personal events, and other commitments, which definitely altered how I approached the challenge.

I feel the films this year somewhat reflected that. 2016 was not a good year for our country, and a lot of the films were poised to challenge how terrible parts of the present and the past were. A lot of the films felt more relevant than last year’s bunch, and I expect more of this year’s films to come up in intellectual discussions about how certain subjects are approached in the media, particularly race, sexuality, gender, and poverty.

Because of this, the films in this year’s Oscar race felt like they were challenging me more. They wanted me, a white, middle class man in his mid-twenties, to really examine stories and matters outside my understanding and comfort zone. They made me think about what some of these films would say to their audience and to those who would not be their intended audience. As a result, I feel a lot more enriched by the films in this year’s group, and my final ranking comes down to the films that left the best impression and had the most relevance to the era we live in.

Now that the introduction is done, allow me to explain this ranking. I do not expect this ranking to at all reflect the result of Sunday’s ceremony. Last year, I got ridiculously lucky calling Spotlight the best film of the bunch and having it actually take home the gold. I am writing this list knowing I am likely wrong, so I won’t pretend this is an accurate prediction list.

I will also remind the reader that this is my personal ranking. I expect people to contest some of the placements and how I judge some of these films, and I encourage them to. This is how I viewed these nine select films, and while I may think it could win a technical award or an acting award, that won’t necessarily reflect the consensus, nor suggest that the actual results differing from my opinion are in any way lesser. For the most part, despite how much we like to argue, most Oscars go to the right people and films. This isn’t always true, and I will always contest to certain wins, but I can also argue in favor of why certain films and figures won, even if I don’t agree with it.

With that, here is how I ranked this year’s Best Picture nominees, in order from least favorite to most favorite:

#9: Manchester by the Sea (dir. Kenneth Lonergan)

Manchester by the Sea is not a bad movie, but of this year’s nominees, it is the least relevant. It’s well acted and well made, but it is so dry and tedious compared to the others. I had no reaction to this movie when it was done, and in the days since I saw it, I had little to say or think about it. There are people who probably will love this movie, but to me, it doesn’t deserve any of the major awards it’s up for. It may not have offended me or made me angry like other films I put at the bottom of my Oscar list (the most recent ones being American Sniperand Bridge of Spies), but compared to the rest of the nominees, there was a missed opportunity than to do more than focus on white New Englanders arguing loudly in public and to make a movie that would actually have presence and legacy after this year. Unfortunately, Manchester by the Sea failed, and that’s why I put it at the bottom.

#8: Hacksaw Ridge (dir. Mel Gibson)

This is the only other film I actively dislike of the nominees this year. Hacksaw Ridge is a conservative’s ideal war movie, and carries all the same issues that come with those types of films. What saved it for me was just how damn goofy the whole film was. Whether it be Andrew Garfield’s Forrest Gump-esque accent or the war scenes that made the war movie in Tropic Thunder look subtle, I had a fun time watching it. It bothered me so much, but the way it attempted to pass on its jingoistic message and latch onto the romanticism of World War II (from the American perspective) was so over-the-top that I really shouldn’t be surprised it was made by Mel Gibson. It may get a sound award, but other than that, it should leave empty-handed.

#7: Lion (dir. Garth Davis)

This is a film I couldn’t hate, but I just couldn’t love. Maybe it’s because it’s been almost ten years since Slumdog Millionaire swept the Oscars that I’m not really surprised or enthralled by the story. Lion is an amazing real life story, but I didn’t find the film all that spectacular compared to others. As I mentioned previously in this series, there are a few nominations every year that wouldn’t be nominated if there was a cap, and I feel Lion is the ur-example for this year’s nomination pool. It’s a nice film, but it’s not great, and the ceremony will probably be in line with that.

#6: Arrival (dir. Dennis Villeneuve)I forgot how much I like Dennis Villeneuve as a director, which is a shame because Incendies was one of my favorite films from this decade. Arrival is a really good science-fiction film and drama, carried largely by an incredible central performance by Amy Adams. I can see the film gaining several technical awards, and I feel that’s where its strengths lie. Villeneuve could be a contender for Best Director, but it feels unlikely since this is a strong category this year. Arrival may be a filler Best Picture nominee, but it’s the one I like the most, and I think the accolades it will win will be deserved.

#5: Hidden Figures (dir. Theodore Melfi)

I like this movie a whole lot, and I know it will be shown in classrooms and be a film that pushes many a young girl into the sciences and engineering fields. Hidden Figures has a lot riding against it, and the award it had the largest chance of winning (Best Actress) was snubbed. I know a lot of people like this movie and expect it to win as the general “audience favorite” film. While I do think this is a good film that I would be happy to see win, I just found myself liking the next four films a lot more.

#4: Fences (dir. Denzel Washington)

For the last film of the series, this one really rocked my final ranking. Fences is very technically proficient and extremely well-acted and scripted. Denzel Washington is now one of my favorites to win Best Actor, although Casey Affleck and Ryan Gosling are likely to snatch it from him. As I said in my review, Viola Davis needs to win. I only cried once during this whole Oscar series, and it was because of the incredible performance Davis gave in the film. She’s highly owed an Oscar, and with a film a strong as Fences, it could be what she needs to finally get one.

#3: Hell or High Water (dir. David Mackenzie)

This film was the biggest surprise of this year’s crop for me. I knew very little about this movie going in, but I was blown away by it. The direction and story are incredibly good, slowly building up to an explosive climax before ending on a very tense resolution. It’s a great film for illustrating the issues with modern banking and crime, while also deconstructing the Wild West bank robber story through nuanced performances and daring action. I had such a good time watching this, and while Best Picture is a long shot, I’d be happy if Jeff Bridges wins Best Supporting Actor. It’s unlikely (due to another nominee I’ll discuss in a moment), but I think it’d be a good win.

#2: La La Land (dir. Damien Chazelle)

Yes, this is the film likely to win. Yes, it is overrated in parts. Yes, there are a ton of issues with the characters and story. Yes, it’s probably going to win because it’s a movie about Hollywood. But I can’t hate the movie. I can’t let all of those issues take away from the fact that it is still a very well made musical with some great original songs. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone could take Oscar gold on Sunday, although I don’t particularly think either of them should. I can’t help but love original musicals when they come around, so I can’t deny that the film has left an impact on me and will likely have an impact during Sunday’s ceremony.

And finally…

#1: Moonlight (dir. Barry Jenkins)

I better not have burned all my prediction fortune on Spotlight last year, because Moonlight is, in my opinion, the best film of 2016. It is such a nuanced story about race, sexuality, class, poverty, and nature, but it’s delivered in a way that can resonate with a lot of people. By following Chiron at three stages, we connect with him at three different stages in his life, and through Barry Jenkins’ excellent direction and the excellent screenplay, a timeless and socially relevant story is told. I think it should win most of the major awards, such as Picture and Director, and I think Mahershala Ali should win Best Supporting Actor. I know the odds are against this film in certain areas, but the movie is so good that I want to see it succeed despite the odds.

I’m very glad I did this series again. I was somewhat burned out on reviewing films and seeing films last year, but this reminded me of why I like watching movies and writing about them. I saw such unique and eclectic films that I feel taller for having watched them. I hope a lot of people look to films like these (well, to at least seven of them) beyond mere entertainment value and look to them as art. There’s a lot to enjoy and appreciate when you parse through them, and it’s worthwhile to make the effort to see them when you can.

I do have conflicted feelings about the Academy Awards in general (thank you, Bojack Horseman, for ruining that for me like so many things), but while it may come off as a Hollywood circlejerk at times, it’s still a good chance to appreciate how much goes into making a movie, and how much the industry works to produce just nine films of note. There are even films I didn’t discuss or look at (sorry, Best Foreign Film category), but now I’m tempted to look into them.

My one real hope is that I do have the mental fortitude and time to attempt this again next year. The editorial staff at Quail Bell has been very gracious in letting me attempt this again, so I hope that when I have settled down a bit, I’ll be able to produce more content akin to this. I would also like to thank Arabella Baumsteiger, Gretchen Gales, and Christine Stoddard for their work making sure everything is edited and published within the time span. I really couldn’t do it without all of you.

With that, I step away to wait to see how the Oscar ceremony this year goes, then to start planning what I’m going to do next. I’ve learned a lot this year and found a lot to appreciate, and I can’t wait to see how that helps me evolve as a critic and writer.